Poetry Review #3: African American Poetry

Spin a Soft Black Song

Giovanni, Nikki. Spin a Soft Black Song. Toronto: Collins Publishers, 1971.  ISBN: 978-0374464691

Critical Analysis: Nikki Giovanni has masterfully put together a collection of her works that truly symbolize what it was like to be an African American child and the experiences that come and go.  Her clever use of ethnic language and slang in the words and phrasing of each selection makes the reader feel like they are listening to a conversation.  Each poem has a different voice and message, but all revolve around natural, ordinary days.  The poems in this collection are in free verse style and seem to slip off of your tongue, as the language eases and glides to your ears.  The collection begins with a poem about a baby and as the reader progresses through each pieces they see the characters age as well.  The general mood of the poems in this collection is joyful as the concrete meaning hidden within the short pieces emerges.  The two poems, mommies and daddies, are excellent examples of the connection and reality that the words express to readers and listeners.  Mommies make you do things that they see as important, while daddies are more worried about you being tough, and Giovanni has skillfully presented these instances.  George Martin’s black and white illustrations provide just enough detail to bring the imagery created in the words to life, as if the reader knows the characters personally. This collection brings about many emotions and feelings, but more impressively it is a collection that students can relate to as they discover the quality of each piece.  The absence of rhyme is made up for in succulent vocabulary and language that is childlike and easy to follow.  The diversity of themes makes this collection one that a diverse group of children could enjoy together.  Giovanni’s talent to write from a child’s perspective makes this poetry collection special for people of all ages to enjoy, share and recall.

POEM SPOTLIGHT

trips

eeeveryyee time

when i take my bath

and comb my hair (i mean

mommy brushes it till i almost cry)

and put on my clean clothes

and they all say MY

HOW NICE YOU LOOK

and i smile and say

“thank you mommy cleaned

me up”

then i sit down and mommy says

GET UP FROM THERE YOU GONNA BE DIRTY

‘FORE I HAVE A CHANCE TO GET DRESSES

         MYSELF

and i want to tell her if you was

my size the dirt would catch

you up faster

Nikki Giovanni

 Analysis: In the poem, trips, the reader is able to personally connect to the little girl as she is prepared to go out on the town.  Giovanni has chosen an everyday activity that children so easily relate to, and made it come to life.  Her words are honest, and by no means sugar coated as the reader can almost feel for themselves the brush as it pains their head.  The childlike language she uses flows freely and seems so realistic, you can almost hear the girl speaking yourself.  The transition from all lower case letters to all capitals letters at various times during the poem helps the reader to sense the tone in a more concrete and natural way.  When read aloud, this poem is easy to comprehend, and students will be able to quickly understand the theme and content being presented.

Classroom Connections:  This poem is an excellent selection to use in order to introduce students to poetry that is non-rhyming and more natural and free verse.  Since most of the poetry children in grades 3-6 have been exposed to rhymes, sharing trips aloud to students will help them to begin to explore other forms of poetry.  Upon hearing the poem read aloud students could discuss what they heard and the meaning and mood of the poem.  The title of this poem is clever, trips, so the teacher could also discuss how the title of a poem sometimes is a clue as to what the poem is about.  Once students have discussed what they heard, show the students the picture.  Discuss how the illustration helps the reader to understand and comprehend the poems meaning even more.  Share another poem from the book with students and have them draw a pencil illustration portraying what they hear.  Have students share their drawings and then share the illustrators drawing to the class as a whole.

As a culminating activity students could take turns reading aloud the poem in pairs, one taking the parts in lowercase and the other reading the parts in all capitals.  This would be a great chance to share with students about the genre of poetry and how it can read and shared in many different ways.